Chinese aerospace company Beijing Tianbing Technology encountered an unexpected setback when the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket suffered a structural failure during testing.
The incident occurred on June 30, 2024, in Gongyi County, Henan Province, as Beijing Tianbing Technology, also known as Space Pioneer, conducted a static-fire test of the rocket’s first stage. According to the aerospace company, the test commenced at approximately 3:43 p.m. local time. At 820 tons of engine thrust, the rocket detached from its launch pad and blasted off due to the structural failure.
Video captured by an eyewitness shows the test stage igniting and lifting off. The stage ascends briefly before suddenly halting and subsequently crashing to the ground approximately 50 seconds after liftoff, causing an explosion.
The rocket crashed in a mountainous area about 0.9 miles (approximately 1.5 kilometers) away, breaking into pieces. Fragments from the first stage scattered across a region deemed safe by authorities, resulting in a local fire. Firefighters quickly put out the fire, and Gongyi’s emergency management bureau confirmed to China Daily that there were no reported injuries.
The Tianlong-3 is a two-stage rocket that is partially reusable and currently in development by Space Pioneer. Its performance aims to rival SpaceX‘s Falcon 9, a partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle capable of transporting cargo and crew into Earth orbit.
In April 2023, Space Pioneer garnered attention by successfully launching the Tianlong-2, a kerosene-oxygen rocket, into space. This achievement marked Space Pioneer as the first private Chinese entity to launch a liquid-propellant rocket into space.